Official PA TV Live broadcast an event honoring released prisoners in the Salfit District.
The event was attended by PA Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Karake, PA Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen and Salfit District Governor Issam Abu Bakr.
Released prisoners Fahim Sarhan, Mustafa Al-Haj and Bilal Damra were honored at the event.PA Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “Brothers, honored ones, who we are proud to be honored by today by honoring you, peace be upon you. All words are dwarfed when standing in the presence of such people. Those who, one day, voluntarily gave up part of their lives. And it is possible that while they were waging the battles of honor, resistance and struggle, they were prepared to give up their whole life for Palestine.”
Note: Mustafa Al-Haj murdered Frederick Rosenfeld while he was hiking near the city of Ariel in the West Bank (June 17, 1989). He was released in August 2013 as one of 104 prisoners released by Israel, which was the PA's precondition for renewing negotiations.Bilal Damra was serving a life sentence for participating in the murder of Frederick Rosenfeld, who was killed while he was hiking near the city of Ariel in the West Bank (June 17, 1989). Damra was released in December 2013 as one of the 104 terrorists whom Israel agreed to release to fulfill the PA's precondition for renewing negotiations.Fahim Sarhan was serving a life sentence for committing an act of terrorism against Israel. PMW has been unable to verify the details of his crime. He was released in October 2011 as part of the Shalit prisoner exchange deal brokered between the Israeli government and Hamas. In that deal, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for more than 5 years.